In Rwanda, gender-based violence (GBV) has been a widespread problem for women both during the genocide and in peacetime. GBV can be manifest as domestic violence, sexual assault and rape, and psychological abuse. In addition, economic violence is often included under the rubric of GBV. This includes inheritance disputes between a widow and her husband’s family over his property, as well as acute economic dependence of women on their husbands. Since many Rwandan women were prevented from receiving secondary educations or skills traning, they are unable to support themselves, and are less able to escape violent relationships.
Many of the violent acts committed during the 1994 genocide were gender-specific, affecting women differently than men. A post-conflict report by the United Nations estimated that at least 250,000 women were raped during the genocide and it is widely recognized by Rwandans that every woman and girl who survived the genocide survived some form of sexual assault, if not rape. Sexual violence was used as a weapon of war and took many forms, including individual rape, gang rape, rape with objects including guns, sexual enslavement and forced marriage, forced labor, and sexual torture and mutilation.
The persistence of polygamy in certain regions of Rwanda has also depleted the rights of women whose husbands have remarried, and are no longer legally bound to their husbands but remain economically dependent on them. In addition, HIV/AIDS in Rwanda has both contributed to and been exacerbated by GBV.
The medical, physical, and psychological effects of sexual violence are enormous. Unwanted pregnancies, intentionally transmitted HIV/AIDS, permanent physical scarring and medical trauma, emotional trauma and stigma are all results of the physical violence perpetrated during the genocide. In addition to sexual violence, thousands of women became widows, facing stigma and discrimination and increased risk of violence. The deep gender inequalities that are manifested in GBV are often worsened by armed conflict, while the incidence of GBV lessened after the conflict, patterns of violence continue today.
Despite the efforts of the Rwandan government to ensuring women’s equal protection under the law, including freedom of movement, right to property, freedom of employment, and access to elective offices (Rwanda’s Constitution 2003); and persecution of sexual violence under the Rwandan Penal Code, persisting social norms and customary laws that place women at a socio-economic disadvantage, and the significant stigma and discrimination that accompany rape and domestic violence, limit the ability of Rwandan society to address GBV.
Moreover, interventions aimed at addressing GBV across the country were not appropriately coordinated and could not address the complex issue of violence against women since some of the Violence against women and girl child crimes are committed across borders such as human trafficking for sexual exploitation. This situation called for continued community motivation, awareness raising and grassroots efforts to address GBV on multiple levels, other than just criminal prosecution, such as treatment of victims, changing harmful social norms and behaviors, and legal assistance.
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